The Russian Blue Cat Breed
History
The Russian Blue cat breed is also known as the Archangel cats, but not because of their looks. This cat breed originated from the Russian port of Arkhangelsk on the White Sea about 150 miles south of the Arctic Circle. These cats would board ships with sailors and so came to other parts of Europe. The first cat show in 1880 in England included Russian Blue cats.
All blue short haired cats competed in the same class but in 1912 the Russian Blues were assigned their own class – the Foreign Blue.
Russian Blue male - photo by Ruskis
After the war, breeders started to resurrect this cat breed and out-crossed to cats that resembled the original Russian Blue. To keep the pale coat, some English breeders used the blue British Shorthair whilst other breeders used blue point Siamese cats to ensure that the foreign body type was preserved. Scandinavian breeders out-crossed cats using a blue cat from Finland and Siamese cats. Their litters had short, tight dark coats and emerald green eyes.
In the early 1900’s the Russian Blue came to North America, but it would be much later that serious breeding programs were established. North American breeders imported cats from Scandinavia and England and combined the best features of both. Today, the modern Russian Blue cat breed has emerald green eyes and a pale blue coat tinged with silver.
Description
The Russian Blue cat breed is an elegant and graceful medium sized cat. The foreign body is muscular and athletic. The legs are long and fine boned.
The head is a wedge shape with high, wide cheekbones. The ears are large and frame the smiling face. The eyes are round and large and a stunning emerald green.
The coat of this cat is short and dense and comes in only one color – a bright blue tipped with silver. The silver tips reflect light making the coat shimmer.
Grooming is easy and a weekly brushing should keep the coat in top condition.
This is a truly beautiful cat that attracts your attention immediately.
The emerald green eyes of the Russian Blue cat breed
The Russian Blue cat breed is an intelligent and extremely affectionate cat breed.
This is a cat that likes to observe people before making its presence known. This
does not mean that this is a shy cat breed – it just likes to survey a situation
before making a decision.
Once you have been approved, you will have to pile on the affection and love that this cat breed deserves as it will become totally devoted to you. They are equally happy to entertain themselves but will demand lap-time and a cuddle from you. They are playful and get along well with children and other pets.
Once you have been properly trained to play fetch, you will have a hard time trying to get away from a game with this magnificent cat breed.
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